Towers Detective Leg Irons x2

 

These are rather than rare, and I've never seen another set on eBay before. There are a few photos of other sets around but this is one of the rarest production restraints. 

The current bid is $392.98 with 3 bids. I expect this to come close to $1,000, personally. Maybe $800. 

UPDATE: THESE SOLD for $1,194.99 with 17 bids. A bit higher still than my original estimate. On an item like this, the big bidders often come out at the very end. Congratulations to the buyer and the seller. An extremely rare set of antique shackles. 

I bid on these in hopes that I could imagine that I would get them but I wasn't even temporarily the winning bidder. These are so rare that I can see someone who really wants these and has the budget paying dearly. I would love to have these but I've already bought three restraints in 2026 and I don't think I really have a chance for these. 

This is a Towers Detective Leg Iron, and while they look just like the handcuffs, they have the signature Towers bent link chain, and appear to use a slightly different key. 

These also have a nice engraving of W.W. Mason 1895. 

UPDATE: after the previous pair sold, another set appeared on a Facebook collecting group as well as eBay. 

This is a very nice unplated set of the EXCEEDINGLY rare Towers Detective Leg Irons. This was priced at $725 on eBay and comes with one key. The seller states that one of the bows is slightly loose/misaligned and needs help to line up correctly into the lock case. This is a very minimal defect, really; I've witnessed this in a few other antique and vintage restraints, and even some modern swing through ratcheting handcuffs can have enough lateral play in the hinge that this can happen, especially once well used. 

UPDATE: these sold fairly quickly. A great deal for an extremely rare restraint. 

I've seen this a few times where one example of a very rare item auctions off at a high price and another example, sometimes not *quite* as mint, but in good workable condition, appears shortly after. So if you miss out on a once in a lifetime item, take heart, and continue to check for new auctions regularly.